Whether it’s a global pandemic that’s stopped the whole world in its tracks, the increasingly pressing dangers of climate disaster, the political crises or the ongoing threat of cyber attacks – as individuals, teams and businesses, we are carrying a lot on our shoulders. But, while we cannot stop this cycle of change, we can focus on things we can affect to thrive in an environment defined by constant transformation. That includes fostering resilience on an individual, communal and organisational level.

Agile Table with Henge Whiteboard | Schiavello

Schiavello – an unquestionable leader in creating world-class professional and residential environments – and it’s in-house behavioural psychology and data analytics team conducted independent research to establish what modern organisations can do to foster tenacity, adaptability and endurance. The inquiry has come back with three significant shifts the businesses can undertake in a workplace.

Shifting towards a more connected experience

With the constant change now a new normal and resilience the key quality companies should foster through responsive physical, digital, and cultural environments, user experience is a crucial consideration in the modern workplace. Schiavello’s research indicates that the need for a strong connection is central to creating positive experiences within those contexts.

That means creating ecosystems that offer resources and integration that allow employees to remain connected physically and digitally. For example, in-person team meetings at the office are already starting to be curated in advance through the online channels, and the workforce needs to have confidence in how the physical world and digital platforms are integrated to enable those new ways of working. In addition to that, employees will have to feel empowered by their companies to organise different workplace experiences born out of a collective directive – yet supporting their individual functional needs and preferences.

Agile Table & Karo Ottomans | Schiavello

This attention to the functional needs of the workforce – while ensuring the environment contributes to their physical, mental and social wellbeing – is a cornerstone of driving collective resilience. To accommodate that, the new office has to offer a high degree of malleability. Products that have been designed specifically with changing collaborative office behaviours in mind – such as increased instances of face-to-face collaboration or video conferencing – can help achieve that. Schiavello’s products have been manufactured to provide visual and auditory privacy and accommodate the integration of digital tools into the physical office set-up. That, in turn, can help encourage connection on every level, creating more resilient and confident teams.

That seamless experience marks another shift – one towards cohesive online and offline experiences.

Agile Storming Table | Schiavello

Shifting towards cohesive digital and physical environments

With the overwhelming impact of the COVID-19 crisis on workplaces worldwide, many organisations have moved – or are in the process of transitioning – to a hybrid way of working. This flexible approach allows employees to work from anywhere and, by its very nature, relies on the smooth integration of the digital and physical worlds – and on digital platforms to support the increased movement, productivity and connections between co-workers.

Focus Quiet Meeting Room | Schiavello

And while recent experiences have demonstrated that digital transformation has a long way to go and digital integration is not always as successful, Schiavello’s research tells us something vital: the physical and digital environments don’t have to be equal – but they do need to be cohesive. This notion positions tech as an enabler of the connections between people rather than their substitute. Nowadays, people are in more fluid and diverse versions of teams – and in more of them, for that matter. Because of that, cohesion across both digital and physical realms is more critical than ever before in the process of creating and cultivating these important connections. What can help achieve that is intelligent data.

Shifting towards technology enablement and intelligence

While uncertainty is hard, change can be good. In fact, some of the most advanced workplaces constantly shift in response to workplace data – particularly as it’s overlaid with a reliable understanding of human behaviours and motivations. This idea of data-driven, responsive improvement can strengthen collective resilience – and it’s something Schiavello can help achieve with their Nura Space platform.

Nura Space Platform | Schiavello

Designed to understand, redefine and optimise a workplace, the tool leverages behaviour science, data and IoT sensors to help understand how the space is utilised – and to create an environment where people can thrive. This clever tool can help measure specific behaviours and interpret trends to make future-forward predictions and effectively curate work environments that are anchored in well-being and efficiency.

Nura Space Platform | Schiavello

Intelligent, valuable data can elevate the workforce’s self-awareness and provide them with better working conditions. From a business point of view, it can help manage diverse environments, support different teams, and achieve crucial business objectives. It may also help anticipate change. In that sense, the digital environment – apart from providing an innovative platform to help connect with others and create seamless, adaptable workplaces – can offer the intelligence and insights to leverage behavioural patterns and produce better, more effective work environments.

Agile Table | Schiavello

Change cannot be stopped – it is the one constant of our times. That is why the most valuable approach any contemporary company can take is to embrace it – and invest in strategies that harvest resilience. To help those efforts, Schiavello provides insight, advice and human-centric products that can help foster tenacity through individual empowerment, increased connection, seamless experiences and data-driven decision-making.

Learn more about Schiavello’s workplace solutions built for change, or view the original advisory report ‘Global Shifting – Building a new resilience’.